Oklahoma State associate head coach Butch Pierre, left, and head coach Travis Ford look over their team during a timeout in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against TCU in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016. Brody SchmidtAP

Oklahoma State associate head coach Butch Pierre, left, and head coach Travis Ford look over their team during a timeout in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against TCU in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016. Brody SchmidtAP

NC State hires veteran men’s basketball assistant Butch Pierre

Mark Gottfried was looking for an ace recruiter to fill out his men’s basketball staff. The N.C. State coach hired veteran assistant Butch Pierre to fill that role Thursday.

Pierre joins Gottfried’s staff after successful stints at Oklahoma State and Louisiana State.

“I’ve known Butch for a long time and he’s regarded as one of college basketball’s premier recruiters, but he is also a great teacher of the game who spent a number of years around winning programs,” Gottfried said in a statement released by the school.

Pierre, 53, spent the past eight seasons on Travis Ford’s staff at Oklahoma State. He helped recruit five-star prospects Marcus Smart and Le’Bryan Nash, and the Cowboys made the NCAA tournament five times in his eight seasons.

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“I am blessed, appreciative and most of all excited about the opportunity to join coach Gottfried and the Wolfpack family,” Pierre said in a statement released by the school.

Before his stint at Oklahoma State, Pierre worked for 11 seasons at Louisiana State and helped recruit the foundation of the Tigers’ 2006 Final Four team, which featured a pair of future NBA forwards in Glen Davis and Tyrus Thomas.

Pierre replaces Rob Moxley on Gottfried’s staff. Moxley was Gottfried’s primary recruiter before a health scare last May. Moxley moved to director of player personnel when the season ended after the ACC tournament in March.

Moxley, Bobby Lutz and Orlando Early had been Gottfried’s assistants since he took the job in April 2011. Lutz and Pierre were assistants on Melvin Watkins’ staff at Charlotte in 1996-97.